Healthcare providers and clinicians have little time to see and treat patients. This is especially true in a clinical setting when time allotted for patient contact is frequently 15 minutes or less. Over 125 million Americans live with at least one chronic illness. An estimated 50 million Americans have three or more chronic conditions. So clinicians and other healthcare providers will frequently address more than one problem or chronic condition during a patient encounter. There are national treatment guidelines for most chronic conditions. Yet, according to a Rand study, clinicians only provide about 55% of the recommended treatment found within these national guidelines for any given chronic condition.
The treatment of chronic conditions accounts for up to about 80% of the current U.S. healthcare expenditures. A method to link a patient's current condition with a sufficient treatment algorithm based on national guidelines and best available evidence would greatly improve decision support at the point of care. This would provide more evidence-based care in less time and reduce cost spent in the healthcare industry in the U.S.